Mir's last mission?

Tuesday, 23 February 1999 T. Garcia, Elsevier Science Channel

After a perfect launch, a Russian Space Agency Soyuz capsule has successfully docked with the MIR space station in what maybe its last mission. The three man crew which will man the space station in the coming months are Russian Viktor Afanasyev, Slovak Ivan Bella, and Frenchman Jean Pierre Haignere.

Once the Mir reaches the end of its usefulness it will be allowed to fall into the Pacific ocean, replaced by the International Space Station. But Mir's replacement is not without problems of its own, the ISS project is behind schedule and over budget.

The Russian government would like to keep the space station in operation, but because of the financial crisis they cannot afford the $250 million a year for its up keep.

The Russians are seeking private funds to keep the Mir in operation, if the funds fail to materialize then the space station could be abandoned as early as August of this year.

Since its launch in 1985 it has completed 27 missions and has been the living quarters to more than a 100 men and women in space.

The Mir intended to be in operation for only 5 years, but it has continued its service for 13. During this time its seen many computer failures, a near fatal collision and a fire, but despite its problems the Russian Space Agency has managed to keep the Mir successfully in operation.